The following statement may be attributed to Howard Simon, Executive Director of the ACLU of Florida:

“We applaud Senator Negron for taking leadership on this critical issue, and the Senate Criminal Justice Committee for making this bill a priority for the first days of legislative committee meetings.

“This is the first piece of legislation voted out of committee this year, and the leadership we have seen on this issue could make our state the first in the nation to regulate the use of drones by local law enforcement.

“The ACLU has serious concerns about unregulated, warrantless use of unmanned aerial vehicle surveillance technology to collect information about individuals. The pace by which surveillance technology has evolved in recent years has so far outstripped the pace at which laws have adapted to protect individuals’ privacy.

“Strict controls are needed to help guide law enforcement in using surveillance technology. Without those limits, we risk inching further into a society under constant and permanent surveillance.

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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) conserves America's original civic values working in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the United States by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Further

In the face of increasingly catastrophic climate news - rising sea levels, wildfires, drought - a team of Russian photographers with the non-profit AirPano have taken to the air in helicopters, airplanes, dirigibles and hot air balloons to offer virtual and panoramic tours of the planet's most stunning locations, urban to wilderness, to remind us what's at stake. Take note.